Online privacy is not only important when you are surfing through desktop devices, but also you should care about mobile phones. It has become increasingly popular to use free WiFi networks in public places, especially now, when about 90% of smartphones are equipped with WiFi module.

This post describes how to connect to our VPN server by using the L2TP/IPsec VPN Client which is bundled with Android. In this instruction, every screenshot is taken on the Android 4.x. Other versions of Android 4.x are similar to be configured, however, there might be minor differences on UIs. Some third-parties customizes the configuration screens of Android.

These screenshots are from the English version of Android iOS. If you use another language, you can still configure it easily by referring to the following instructions.

Initial configuration (only needs to be done once)

Start the “Settings” application on Android.

In the “Wireless & Networks” category, open “More…” and tap “VPN”.

Click the “Add VPN profile” button to create a new VPN connection setting.

A new VPN connection setting editing screen will appear. Input something string on the “Name” field (e.g. “vpn”), and choose “L2TP/IPSec PSK” in the “Type” field.

On this screen, you have to specify either the hostname or IP address of our VPN server.

Server address: privatoria.net

Enter your Privatoria username for IPSec identifier

You also have to enter your Privatoria user-name and current password and secret (pre-shared key) on the Android screen.

Pre-shared key: vpn

Scroll down the configuration screen, and tap the “Show advanced options” checkbox if appropriate.

Enter the “IPSec pre-shared key” field. Leave defaults for “Forwarding routes” field. Make sure that you input the “Forwarding routes” field correctly. If not, you cannot communicate via VPN. After you input everything correctly, tap the “Save” button and save the VPN connection setting.

Connect to a VPN

You can start a VPN connection by using a created VPN connection setting at any time. Open the VPN connection settings list and tap a setting, you will see the following screen.

Upon using it the first time, you have to input the “Username” and “Password”into the fields. Enter both “Username” and “Password” fields, and check “Save account information” . Tap “Connect” to start the VPN connection. While the VPN is established, you can see the status and connect time on the status screen. Your private IP address in VPN is also displayed. The “Connect to” IP address reports “1.0.0.1″, but this is normal.

Enjoy VPN communication

While the VPN is established, all communications will be relayed via the VPN server. If you have problems with the VPN setup using a WiFi router you should check the following options. Go to the Router’s settings, choose security option and open the VPN tab. Make sure that the following buttons aren’t turned off: L2TP Passthrough and IPSec Passthrough. If so, turn them on, save the changes and reboot the router.